Sharjah Royal opening for 1001 Inventions

His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated a 1001 Inventions exhibition on Tuesday 15th April 2014.

The interactive 1001 Inventions exhibition themed “Discovering Our Past – Inspiring Our Future” highlights over one thousand years of scientific and cultural achievements made during the Golden Age of Muslim civilization. The exhibition will be open for visitors until May 15 the Sharjah Expo Centre.

The block buster and award winning exhibition presents the achievements made by inspirational men and women from various faiths worked together in Muslim Civilisation to achieve breakthroughs that helped create the foundations of our modern world.

Ahmed Salim, producer and director of 1001 Inventions, said the 1001 Inventions exhibitions were part of a global educational campaign that had already achieved resounding success, reaching over 70 million people around the world with exhibitions, educational programs, festivals, films, books and other media.

He noted that the exhibition hosted in Sharjah was one of the largest ever produced by 1001 Inventions. At the end of his speech, he thanked Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, who formally opened the exhibition and the organisers from the Sharjah International Book Fair and the international team working for 1001 Inventions.

Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Director of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), announced the world renowned 1001 Inventions exhibition will be hosted for the first time in Sharjah as part of the celebration of the city’s selection as a Capital of Islamic Culture for 2014.

It forms part of the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival, which will begin on 15 of April 2014 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Al Ameri said, "Hosting this 1001 Inventions groundbreaking exhibition is in line with the directive of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, that the city should host special events that highlight Muslim Civilisation’s culture and its influential role in the world."

Hind Lenaid, Head of Exhibitions at SIBF and General Coordinator of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, said, "Hosting this ‘1001 Inventions’ exhibition as part of the sixth Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival is a major development in the history of the Festival due to its large scale, its global fame and its prospects for attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors of different ages from the UAE and abroad."

She said entry to this ‘1001 Inventions’ exhibition will be free of charge. It will open to the public on the 15 April, coinciding with the launch of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, and will continue until the 15 May 2014.

Lenaid added that the one-month event will encompass many educational and entertainment activities including films suitable for all the family. These introduce the most important inventions and discoveries in an interactive and fun manner, encouraging children to take those inventors and discoverers as role models.

This ‘1001 Inventions’ exhibition features a diverse range of exhibits to enthrall visitors and enrich their knowledge, including interactive displays, electronic games and models that bring to life historic role models from Muslim Civilisation.

The exhibits will be showcased at eight main stands, each of which highlights achievements and discoveries in a certain field - such as engineering, agriculture, medicine and surgery, geography and marine science, astronomy, optics, and education.

An introductory film, ‘1001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets’, starring the Oscar-winning Sir Ben Kingsley will be screened during the exhibition. Winner of 27 international awards, the film reflects the rich scientific and cultural heritage left by Muslim Civilisation for today's generations. The 12-mintue film tells the story of three students who visit a library to research how the modern world has been influenced by the Dark Ages. They meet the Librarian, who guides them on a journey of discovery about the ancient Golden Age and its pioneering inventors and scientists.

The exhibition is created by the UK based organization ‘1001 Inventions’ which works with a network of high profile international partners and the world’s leading academics to produce world-class experiences, blockbuster interactive exhibits, short feature films, live shows, books and classroom learning materials that are being used by hundreds of thousands of educators around the world.

Ahmed Salim noted that ‘1001 Inventions’ has engaged with more than 70 million people around the world through its productions and more than 4 million people have visited ‘1001 Inventions’ exhibitions and shows. The UK based organisation FSTC is the academic partner of 1001 Inventions and ALJCI are an international strategic partner.

He further added “by celebrating the creative golden age of Muslim Civilisation, ‘1001 Inventions’ aims to inspire ambition in people to find solutions to the grand societal challenges of today, and a build better future for the World.”

The exhibits and educational materials will be available in both English and Arabic.

1001 Inventions will be launching one of their biggest exhibitions as an anchor attraction at Sharjah’s Children’s Reading Festival. The exhibition will be in residency for 4 weeks at he Sharjah Expo Centre – from 15 April to 15 May.

The exhibition highlights a thousand years of scientific, technological and cultural achievements from the seventh century onwards, a period known as the “Golden Age of Muslim Civilisation” stretching from Spain to China.

Exhibitions produced by1001 Inventions have already received more than three million visitors at blockbuster residencies cities around the world breaking visitor number records in London, New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul.